Nuveen Asset Management LLC Sells 4,332 Shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI - Free Report) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 140,597 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock after selling 4,332 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.21% of MKS Instruments worth $14,677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Needham Investment Management LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Needham Investment Management LLC now owns 129,000 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $13,466,000 after buying an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 234,795 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $24,510,000 after buying an additional 21,533 shares in the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 766.4% during the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 111,946 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $11,686,000 after buying an additional 99,025 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 39.0% during the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 9,110 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $951,000 after buying an additional 2,558 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ellevest Inc. grew its stake in MKS Instruments by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 8,633 shares of the scientific and technical instruments company's stock worth $901,000 after buying an additional 585 shares in the last quarter. 99.79% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

MKS Instruments Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ MKSI traded down $0.11 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $85.18. The stock had a trading volume of 327,297 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,054,355. The firm has a market cap of $5.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.80. MKS Instruments, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.84 and a twelve month high of $147.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.93, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 3.19. The company's 50 day moving average price is $76.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $95.81.

MKS Instruments (NASDAQ:MKSI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $936.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $913.59 million. MKS Instruments had a net margin of 5.30% and a return on equity of 18.94%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that MKS Instruments, Inc. will post 6.94 EPS for the current year.

MKS Instruments Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 27th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 27th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.03%. MKS Instruments's payout ratio is presently 26.27%.

Insider Activity at MKS Instruments

In other MKS Instruments news, Director Elizabeth Mora sold 275 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.46, for a total transaction of $25,426.50. Following the transaction, the director now owns 17,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,607,324.64. This represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MKSI. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of MKS Instruments from $128.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $140.00 price target on shares of MKS Instruments in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 23rd. Needham & Company LLC decreased their price target on shares of MKS Instruments from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of MKS Instruments from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $110.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $134.92.

About MKS Instruments

MKS Instruments, Inc provides foundational technology solutions to semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and packaging, and specialty industrial applications in the United States, Germany, China, South Korea, and internationally. It operates through Vacuum Solutions Division (VSD), Photonics Solutions Division (PSD), and Material Solutions Division (MSD) segments.